Movin' On Up

RENTON, WA - On Monday, April 19, Valley Medical Center’s Critical Care Center (CCC), Joint Center and Spine Center moved from locations in the main hospital building to the 4th and 5th floors of the newly opened South Tower, completing planned occupancy for 2010 and beyond.

“Moving these services to the South Tower was no easy feat, but we had a flawless move” beamed Rich Roodman, Valley Medical Center CEO. “We had zero issues transferring patients, and on the technology side, everything worked perfectly. I am thrilled to have all of our services moved in and up and running, ready to serve our patients with the best care, top notch clinicians, and state-of-the-art facility.”

Three levels of patient care will be included in the new 4th floor CCC: Intensive Care, Progressive Care and Acute Care. Patients will be allowed to remain in the CCC from admission through discharge, a big change from the old location where a patient and family could be impacted by up to three transfers. A host of new upgrades and updates to this department make this area a comforting and healing, patient- and family-centered care environment. All patient rooms throughout the South Tower are “universal” acuity, adaptable to any equipment or procedure.

Details include:

30 universal patient care rooms;

Over 25,000 square feet;

Family waiting area that contains a family lounge, kitchenette, and consultation room;

Decentralized nursing stations – now located between every two rooms;

Clinical Integration Center designed to improve interaction and communication between interdisciplinary clinicians.

The 5th floor of the South Tower will combine for the first time both Joint and Spine Centers of Excellence in one location, made possible in part by the universal room setup. Patients having joint replacement or spine surgery will recover in one of 30 private rooms. The floor includes dedicated space for education, surgical preparation, and recovery and rehabilitation plus a physical therapy room.

Notable upgrades include:

30 larger private rooms, important to orthopedic patients;

New therapy space that can accommodate four or five patients at a time;

Larger, comfortable conference room with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment for joint and spine education seminars that are an appreciated service offered by VMC.

The Emergency Department opened on the 3rd floor of the South Tower in late February. The $115 million facility also houses a disaster command center, state-of-the-art decontamination equipment, two floors of underground parking, and room for expansion on floors 6 and 7 to accommodate regional growth for decades to come.